Latvian Prime Minister Resigns Tuesday Nov 26,2013

Valdis Dombrovskis’,Latvia’s Prime Minister resigned on Tuesday Nov 26,2013 after accepting political responsibility for the collapse of a supermarket roof in the capital that killed 54 people and wounded at least 40 others. 

Valdis Dombrovskis’ decision means that his centre-right government automatically falls. 

He is the longest serving Prime Minister in Latvia’s history. 

Latvian President Andris Berzins can either reject the resignation or accept it and nominate an acting prime minister whose job it will be to form a new cabinet

Note

Last week’s collapse of the Maxima supermarket that killed 54 people and wounded at least 40 others was the worst disaster since Latvia declared its independence from Soviet Union in 1991, and has caused a storm of outrage from Latvians

A  view of the collapsed roof of the Maxima supermarket in Riga, Latvia on Friday. The destruction has killed at least 51, including three firefighters

 

Police have opened a criminal investigation into the cause of last week’s tragedy

Possible explanations for the disaster include a flawed design, substandard construction materials, and corruption.